"You're very talented. Would you like to be my student?"
"Sensei!"
Sōjun Minamoto switched how he addressed him without hesitation. It reminded him of his first mentor, but becoming Masamichi Yaga's student was clearly the right choice.
In the Jujutsu World, there's a ranking system: Special Grade, then Grades 1 through 4, with Special Grade being the most powerful.
If regular weapons worked on Cursed Spirits, the comparisons would go something like this:
Special Grade—like carpet bombing with cluster bombs
Grade 1—a tank, but still not reassuring
Grade 2—barely manageable with a shotgun
Grade 3—a pistol would do
Grade 4—a wooden bat is enough
Fly Heads, the spirit floating above Sōjun Minamoto's head, wasn't even at Grade 4. It wasn't classified and posed no threat at all.
Jujutsu Sorcerer rankings reference Cursed Spirit grades, but within the same level, Sorcerers are generally stronger.
Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerers, though, follow an entirely different standard—one of which is the ability to singlehandedly destroy a nation.
So who is Masamichi Yaga?
He wasn't the principal yet, didn't wear sunglasses, and there was no panda plushie by his side...
But in the future—as far as Sōjun Minamoto remembered from the latest manga chapter—Masamichi Yaga had nearly become the fifth Special Grade in a world where only four existed. Most Jujutsu Sorcerer topped out at Grade 2 or Semi-Grade 1.
For reasons unknown, he declined to be evaluated for Special Grade. Even so, his strength had clearly reached the peak of the Jujutsu World.
He had a wide-reaching network. Two of the Special Grades were his students, one was the student of a student, and the last was a junior he was on good terms with.
And most importantly, he was also Mrs. Minamoto's younger brother—and Sōjun's own uncle.
So, for Sōjun Minamoto, having a powerful "big brother" to pave the way was definitely going to be helpful.
"Good!" Masamichi Yaga seemed pleased. He stood up, glanced around, and finally walked to an open space in the living room. He stopped. "You've mastered refining Cursed Energy. The next step is technique development."
He raised a palm, Cursed Energy swirling around it like flowing water. He looked directly at Sōjun Minamoto.
"Come, punch me here."
Sōjun Minamoto stood, walked over, and without hesitation, drew back his arm and threw a punch—
Bang!
A low, sharp impact echoed.
He had used Cursed Energy!
Masamichi Yaga increased the output of his own Cursed Energy just as the punch came. Fist and palm collided and then held still, locked in place.
Sōjun Minamoto withdrew his hand. He'd matched the Cursed Energy that had coated Yaga's palm, but added some of his own raw Strength. Yaga noticed instantly and blocked it with ease.
No wonder the senior generation of Jujutsu Sorcerers always carried such calm and confidence.
Yaga pulled back his arm, silently rummaged through his pocket, and pulled out... a teddy bear?
He channeled Cursed Energy into it and tossed it to the ground.
The bear stood up on its own and started moving.
"Try again," Yaga said.
"Try wha—"
Bang!!!
Sōjun Minamoto quickly raised his arms to block the bear's headbutt, lowered his center of gravity, leaned in to counter, and dug his toes into the floor...
In that instant, he did everything he could to stay steady.
Even so, he slid back slightly.
After hitting his arm, the doll bounced off with remarkable flexibility, landing smoothly and bouncing in place. It didn't attack further.
Hiss!
"Do you understand now?" Masamichi Yaga caught the doll as it hopped up, patted its head, and said, "I used the same amount of Cursed Energy, but the power behind it was entirely different!"
Same? No way. The Strength of the Curse just now was clearly way higher—that's the difference!
Sōjun Minamoto kept the admiration on his face, though inwardly he rolled his eyes. "Amazing, amazing! How did you do that?"
Masamichi Yaga chuckled and, hands behind his back, spoke unhurriedly:
"If Cursed Energy is like electricity, then techniques are the appliances. You can't just release electricity directly—you need to channel it into an appliance to generate different effects. Cursed Energy has inherent power, but it's only when combined with a technique that it reaches its full potential."
He handed the doll to Sōjun Minamoto.
"My technique is Puppet Manipulation. It allows me to create Cursed Corpses. They have a core that functions like a heart. The more Cursed Energy it holds, the stronger it becomes. That core is both its power source—and its weakness."
"Watch."
Sōjun Minamoto took the Cursed Corpse. It began struggling immediately. A faint blue light flickered around its ankles. He looked at Yaga with a strange expression.
"The weakness must be hidden in an unexpected place to be safe," Yaga explained calmly.
Sōjun Minamoto pressed lightly on the doll's foot. It didn't feel any different.
It squirmed for a bit, then went limp, like it had exhausted all its energy.
It moved on its own but clearly wasn't alive or intelligent.
Judging by the term "puppet," it likely followed basic commands or could be fully controlled by Yaga to perform complex actions.
Its strength was undeniable.
Even if Masamichi Yaga had increased his output of Cursed Energy, Sōjun Minamoto could clearly see the difference. The same amount of Cursed Energy, when used in a technique, was far more powerful than using it raw for defense or attack.
So what about his own technique?
Sōjun Minamoto opened his palms, Cursed Energy flowing. A patch of skin wrinkled, layers folding and stretching until a slit slowly opened—revealing a black pupil.
His vision instantly shifted.
The eye in his palm swiveled, giving him a new perspective from above. A large man and a child entered his view.
He pondered for a moment—then felt something shift in the soul body's right palm as well. The skin there trembled slightly, as if another eye was about to open.
He quickly diverted some focus to stabilize the soul body, suppressing the second eye from emerging.
Soon, the original eye faded and his palm returned to normal.
Phew, it worked.
He had always been able to modify himself—but never made any drastic changes. Modification was one thing, restoration was another. That's what truly mattered.
He had excellent control, but still lacked full confidence.
He'd had many ideas but kept them in check. If he transformed himself into something too bizarre, he'd regret it with nowhere to vent.
Now, with more knowledge and Masamichi Yaga watching over him, he took a leap—and succeeded in one try.
That eye, with its internal structure, blood supply, and nerve links... It had required intricate knowledge, but he built it, and it worked.
This marked a new phase. His soul could now anchor within while his body underwent radical changes.
This was his goal for this new stage.
...
Masamichi Yaga left. He'd taught enough for today and wanted to give Sōjun Minamoto time to digest everything.
He was busy, and even finding time once a week wasn't easy.
He didn't ask about the eye or the Fly Head.
Jujutsu development is personal. It's crucial to keep things hidden. He could offer guidance based on experience, but he wouldn't interfere too much.
Providing a safe space to grow was enough. The rest was up to the individual. Once you choose the path of a Jujutsu Sorcerer, you walk hand-in-hand with death.
Sooner or later, you must adapt.
That's the essence of the Jujutsu World.